What was the MOST ridiculous thing a patient came to the ER for?

Specialties Emergency Nursing Q/A

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JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP

1 Article; 1,863 Posts

Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.
Was she admitted to psych? She may have been seriously depressed.
Yeah, I'd be worried about her too. Could also be something neurological. How long had she actually been crying for?

star77, MSN, RN

219 Posts

Specializes in Emergency, Critical Care Transport.

Dumbest: "I need a note so my kids can go to camp tomorrow." No kids with the parent, and the parent's excuse for not taking them to the pediatrician? "Well, they don't like going to the doctor, and you guys write better notes anyway." Ooo-kay. (And no, there was no work conflict for this parent).

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Most incredible:

Whenever I see "retained object," I'm always curious to see what it is...

Well, the two most amazing were:

1) Butane canister (wow!). Cap still on, thankfully. Surgery took him upstairs shortly after he came in (GI couldn't get it out, and they were really worried about the cap coming off and the butane leaking into this poor dude's colon).

On a "lighter" side (oh the bad jokes that followed):

I can say that "sparked" many "explosive diarrhea" comments... talk about "bad gas." (Oh, ER humor).

2) A bowling pin. Yes, a bowling pin. The *entire* bowling pin. I don't know how, and I don't wanna know.

Does that count as a strike or a spare?

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And it always makes me sad when you get the little old ladies who call EMS because "I'm lonely and feeling anxious."

JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP

1 Article; 1,863 Posts

Specializes in Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergy.

And it always makes me sad when you get the little old ladies who call EMS because "I'm lonely and feeling anxious."

We had a guy like that who ended up in psych. But I think social services was able to work out a group living situation for him.

allnurses Guide

JBudd, MSN

3,836 Posts

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.
2) A bowling pin. Yes, a bowling pin. The *entire* bowling pin. I don't know how, and I don't wanna know.

Does that count as a strike or a spare?

gutter ball?

allnurses Guide

JBudd, MSN

3,836 Posts

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

called an amublance to bring him to then hospital, because the pharmacy wouldn't fill a narc scrip (he'd maxed out).

Specializes in ED.

I'm precepting in the ER and worked in triage yesterday.

Girl in her early 20s comes in and says she has SEVERE abdominal pain. We call her back to triage and she says her pain is a "12 out of 10". We ask her the 'when was your LMP' type questions and if she has had a BM, etc. Her LMP was January 12 and this is 2/7 mind you.

We send her back out the waiting room where she immediately gets on the waiting room phone and chats it up for over 20 minutes laughing and carrying on for the whole room and us to hear. We call her back again for a UA and she acts all annoyed at us, gives us the specimen and goes back out to use the phone and calls 4-5 more people. She laughs with a few and yells at another one. :rollseyes:

Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
I'm precepting in the ER and worked in triage yesterday.

Girl in her early 20s comes in and says she has SEVERE abdominal pain. We call her back to triage and she says her pain is a "12 out of 10". We ask her the 'when was your LMP' type questions and if she has had a BM, etc. Her LMP was January 12 and this is 2/7 mind you.

We send her back out the waiting room where she immediately gets on the waiting room phone and chats it up for over 20 minutes laughing and carrying on for the whole room and us to hear. We call her back again for a UA and she acts all annoyed at us, gives us the specimen and goes back out to use the phone and calls 4-5 more people. She laughs with a few and yells at another one. :rollseyes:

:uhoh3::confused::rolleyes:Yes, that stinks.

ErinRN2B

315 Posts

I've been to the ER twice, once for what I now realize was a stupid reason and once for a really serious reason. After reading these I'm amused but scared to ever go back to the ER!

Stupid reason: I was 19 and living alone in a small apartment in San Francisco. I had had a head cold for days and my ear started hurting worse and worse. I had never had an ear infection before and didn't even know what it felt like. I thought something was seriously wrong so after taking Tylenol and waiting it out for most of the day I went to the ER down the street - acute otitis media, luckily the nurses and ER doc were super nice to me. It was a kind of rough, inner city hospital and I think I was probably one of their more pleasant patients. Sent home with antibiotics and pain meds after a short wait.

Good reason: Age 21 and had just delivered my son a few months previously; was watching TV with my husband and had had nagging abd pain all day that I thought was just gas. Took pain meds and waited it out; took Pepcid, nothing worked. Something felt "not right" so I called my dad and he took me to the ER at 11 PM while my husband stayed home w/ the newborn. My gallbladder was necrotic. :crying2: Emergency surgery. Worse than labor pains.

cna23

93 Posts

The police had raided a crack house. In the refrigerator they found what they thought was a human fetus. They brought it to the ER. It was an oyster.

The police of all of them!! Hilarious.

TXTraumaRN

29 Posts

Specializes in Emergency nursing.
Some turkey came in to triage complaining that his inner thighs had been chafing for two weeks. This was 1am. It was just too painful to bear.

Liposuction or diaper rash cream- we don't provide either one, so I don't know what he ended up doing.

I think we work at the same ER. That patient showed up here a few weeks ago. :uhoh3:

rph3664

1,714 Posts

Stupid reason: I was 19 and living alone in a small apartment in San Francisco. I had had a head cold for days and my ear started hurting worse and worse. I had never had an ear infection before and didn't even know what it felt like. I thought something was seriously wrong so after taking Tylenol and waiting it out for most of the day I went to the ER down the street - acute otitis media, luckily the nurses and ER doc were super nice to me. It was a kind of rough, inner city hospital and I think I was probably one of their more pleasant patients. Sent home with antibiotics and pain meds after a short wait.

That's not a stupid reason. If you think you're really sick, you should be seen, and otitis media can be fatal if untreated. At one time, it often was. :(

jb2u, ASN, RN

863 Posts

Specializes in ICU, ER, Hemodialysis.

Pt came into er via ems from nursing home. Reason....family wanted er to give antibiotics for uti. Pt came in and we did a UA per doctor's order. Yep, pt had UTI. MD prescribed antibiotic and sent back to nursing home. Family later called and asked if her mother had arrived to er yet. I told her yes and she has already gone back to the nsg home. Pt's daughter asked if we gave her any antibiotics. I stated no. We checked to see if she had a UTI and she does, so she was prescribed antibiotics and sent back to the nursing home.

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